


Summer Rain

by jijis_san



Category: Sword Art Online
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Romance, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-01-13
Packaged: 2018-05-13 18:48:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5713189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jijis_san/pseuds/jijis_san
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eight months have passed since the Death Game was beaten, and life continues for the people all over the country now labeled as "SAO Survivors". Readapting to the real life is no easy task, and now finally Kirito, Asuna and their friends can take a break. At the end of a long cycle full of hardships, an unexpected invitation is made, leading to unforeseen events under a summer rain.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Summer Rain

**Author's Note:**

> Hello readers, thank you for checking on Summer Rain! I would like to say a few words before you can jump to the main story, but I promise I will be brief.
> 
> This is my first work of fanfiction (ever) an it was the first time I seriously decided to commit myself to write a story, so please, take care of me!
> 
> I have been into SAO for years now, I really love reading the Light Novels. Kawahara's work makes me laugh, cry, get excited and happy. As just the canon material is never enough for a fan, I resorted to fanfics, but sadly I rarely find one that matches my expectations, so I decided one night to just write one lol. As I was writing, it turned out it will be a one shot with multiple chapters, focusing on my OTP of all times, Kirito and Asuna (because I feel the need to see these two having romantic and fluff moments). This is the very beginning, so sorry if nothing reeeally exciting happens, but I promise it will get better!
> 
> I am looking foward to receiving feedback from you! I want to know your thoughts, impressions, feelings while reading it, if the characters seem OC, everything! I want to improve, so if you want to suggest something, I am open for constructive criticism! By the way, I am not a native English speaker, and even though I was very careful while writing and had my friends double-check my text, it may still have some mistakes. Sorry, please, bear with me ^^
> 
> Lastly, I can be found on kiirigayas.tumblr.com. Want to talk to me about my fic or anything else? Come, I will definitly reply!
> 
> Enough of me now! I hope you enjoy the first chapter, and again, thank you for reading!

 

July was currently reaching its end, and with it, the first academic term of the year. For the majority of students, the final tests had finally ended just a few days ago as well; in other words, summer vacation had just started for Asuna and her friends.

It was Friday night. They all were reunited in <Yggdrasil City> in ALO, as they had agreed earlier to meet up to celebrate their earned freedom. Even people like Agil and Klein, who did not attend school, had spared some time to show up to eat and drink with everyone, congratulating them for their hard work. As usual, they had gathered in Kirito and Asuna’s rented room, as that was the best spot for an intimate and comfortable celebration, and Asuna could not feel happier to see all her dear friends having fun together in what was, for now, hers and Kirito’s precious <home>.

In the middle of the party, after a cheerful and slightly <drunk> Lisbeth had excused herself from Asuna’s side and went looking after Leafa, Kirito approached her, a small smile in his lips. Sitting beside her right, on the spot Lisbeth had left empty on the couch, he silently took her hand between his, intertwining their fingers. Asuna welcomed the pleasant touch and squeezed his hand. They had not been able to talk much until now, having both their attention demanded by their friends ever since the party had started.

“Aah” Kirito let out a tired sigh, resting his head back on the couch. “I don’t understand. You supposedly can’t get drunk in the VR world, as there is no actual alcohol in the drinks to mess with your brain…but I couldn’t get Klein to stop laughing and hugging me for at least ten minutes!” He fixed his gaze on Asuna, an apologetic look in his eyes. “I’m sorry, I wanted to have come over sooner, but every time I tried to sneak away, he pulled me back and tried to make me drink more of that strange elixir he brought from God knows where.”.

Asuna laughed, regretting she had not witnessed that memorable scene.

“It’s okay. Just now Lisbeth was also going over and over for some time about all the blacksmithing she couldn’t work on because of exams period. She had this dazed look on her face and her words were coming out muffled the whole time.”

“Ooh is that so? Then maybe I should ask Yui about this <drunk debuff> later”. His eyes returned to his friends just in time to watch as Klein gave a particularly loud laugh at something Agil was saying, and as Lisbeth gestured at Leafa, opening and closing her hands repeatedly in front of her while saying something with a devilish smile on her face, making Leafa blush different hues of red. He and Asuna chuckled, exchanging smiles full of tenderness toward their beloved troublesome friends.

“Haha, I guess there is no helping those two.” Kirito concluded.

“But it’s really good they are having fun, isn’t it?” Asuna said, while surveilling the room and taking in the smiling faces of its occupants. “After so much we have been through, trying to readapt to the real world, with school and exams, or everyday work in Klein and Agil’s case…I think it’s nice we can finally take a breath like this. I am happy to see everyone smiling together at ease”.

Kirito followed her gaze, his expression relaxing at her words, a heart-warming smile reaching his lips. He let their fingers separate, just to readjust the position of his hand, now involving hers, his thumb slowly caressing the back of her hand in a circular motion. 

“Yeah…you are right. The last few weeks sure were stressful. I swear I would rather be left in Jotunheim to fight the Deviant Gods totally alone for a whole week than having to do exams all over again…”

 “Oh come on! They were not that bad, you know! I am sure you went just as well as I did, I know you studied hard.” Pouted Asuna, sighing at her boyfriend’s drama, but at the same time internally amused by his reckless solo player persona emerging in that comparison.

Hearing that, Kirito put his free hand under his chin and frowned, his expression turning to the same he wore while discussing strategies to fight a boss, specifically when he arrived to a particular conclusion after making every possible calculations in his head. He then said, as it was the most serious thing in the world:

“Eeh…I don’t know about that. It is hard to match you in studies, you know. How would I say this…Asuna is not only the <Flash> and <Berserk Healer>, but also <Honor Student- sama> after all.”

Asuna felt her face flushing red, a feverish sensation growing fast from her chest up to her pointy Undine ears. Seeing that, Kirito dropped his serious expression, a mischievous smile appearing in his avatar’s face before softening and laughing with the content of someone who had gotten what he wanted. This expression was quickly replaced by one of deep pain, as Asuna proceeded to repeatedly elbow him hard on the ribs in retaliation. He let out several pained noises, punctuated with giggles and “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” apologies. Asuna stopped her assault, as she had not really been mad, and the sound of her laugher joined his, a warm, cozy feeling building up in her chest at that moment. She then shook her head from right to left at his silliness, before resting it on the space above his collarbone.

They stayed like that for a while, just feeling and enjoying each other’s presence, contemplating the ruckus Klein and Lisbeth were making now by singing a very loud duet of a random song, while the Leafa and Silica recorded everything with special crystals, their smiles full of ill intentions.

“My weekend sure will be quieter than I thought when compared to this” Asuna let out suddenly. Kirito titled his head down to look at her, an inquiring look on his face.

Feeling his motion, she lifted her head a little to be able to see his face. “Didn’t I tell you? Mom and dad have been away on a business trip since the beginning of the week. It was no big deal until now, because I had been focusing in studying for the finals, so anything barely distracted me. And my brother was home as well…but he will have to be out this weekend and we are in vacation now. I know I can always meet everyone here in ALO anytime, but…”

She stopped, thinking about the oppressive silence that she would have to endure. Not that her house was very lively normally; but just knowing someone else was there diminished the feeling of emptiness the vastness of her house often exhaled.

“But don’t worry about it, it’s really nothing much.” Asuna said, straightening her posture to look at him properly. She herself thought such feeling was a little exaggerated. She didn’t want him to get concerned over her for something like this, and because that was his nature, she knew he would. Trying to reassure him she would be okay, she said in a more confident tone: “Besides, it’s just a couple of days anyway. Mom and dad will be back by Sunday already.”

Kirito had kept his face calmly collected while she was talking, and now his expression was gradually changing to one that indicated he was deep in thought. Asuna recognized this as a substantially different seriousness from the face he had just made while teasing her. She could almost see the engines in his brain working…and something else she could not immediately identify. The way he was swallowing heavily, his eyes blinking more than normally, and specially how he was looking away from her as if he was afraid she could decipher him right away if she took a mere glimpse at his eyes, what both of them knew it was true. Thus, she stared at him patiently, waiting for his internal struggle to subside.

Breaking the silence, he finally asked, hesitant: “They will be back just on Sunday then…right?”

“Yes…what about it?”

“W-well it’s just a thought I had when you implied you would feel lonely…b-but please don’t think I am just saying this because your parents are away or anything! I-I really have been thinking of asking this much earlier, but with the end of term so close and everything I didn’t get the chance and…”

Kirito was still looking away from her eyes, and despite his efforts to remain composed, the red blush coloring his cheeks and his rushed voice betrayed him. Curious as she was to know what her ever-complicated boyfriend had in mind, Asuna interrupted his explanatory speech, her voice anxious.

“Kirito-kun, it’s okay! I won’t have any wrong ideas; you can just say what you want to”.

At this, Kirito swallowed one more time and finally locked eyes with her. She then finally recognized the uneasiness in his gestures. They resembled the way he had acted in Aincrad, in one particular night on her old house in Selmburg, the night – 

When he had asked to marry her.

At the same time she realized this, Kirito finally let his voice out, more steady than before, his face now resolute.

“Asuna, do you want to come by tomorrow? To my house, that is.”        

Hearing these words, joy took over her in a heartbeat.

*******

**_21th July 2025, Saturday, 10:30 AM._ **

A strong sunlight was flashing from outside, dyeing in gold the girl’s delicate figure, which was leaning towards the window.

Asuna was currently aboard a train. Glancing through the glass, she could not discern much of the landscape, as the high speed distorted its shape, but the bright sky was clearly visible. Eyes set on the blue vastness above her, Asuna’s mind started to wonder.

It was a strange morning. Even though the sun was shining strongly outside, the amount of clouds was quite atypical for the present season. The temperature also felt much more comfortable and pleasant than the usual hot and humid weather of the past few weeks.

Not that Asuna was complaining at all. If this were still Aincrad, one would say a combination of such nice parameters was – statistically – a highly improbable event, making said day somewhat special.

 _Indeed, today is a special day_. Asuna thought, smiling slightly to herself, her gaze not leaving the sky. She  thought about how this situation came to be, just yesterday.

Even now, remembering about the moment she had heard Kirito’s invitation, Asuna’s heart squeezed slightly. She had answered him by agreeing immediately, feeling surprised and still finding it both endearing and amusing that he had struggled so much to ask her that. They had arranged to meet first at Agil’s café in the next morning, and that was where Asuna was heading to right now.

She had left her house just 15 minutes ago, and was now riding the Tokyu-Setagaya line, heading to Ueno-Hirokoji station. The whole trajectory from where she lived in Setagaya ward to Dicey Café in Taito Okachimachi, Central Tokyo, took nearly an hour even by train, and consisted in various transfers from one line to another. It didn’t bother her, though; Asuna appreciated the sense of movement she got when traveling by train. Moreover, as it was Saturday and before noon, the stations were not crowded, a certain bonus in the already over favorable parameters set for today.

Convinced nothing could shake her mood, Asuna averted her eyes from the window and carefully took her phone out of her purse. Her fingers nimbly touched over the screen, looking for a certain picture taken just yesterday. Enlarging the picture to take a good look at it, she couldn’t suppress an involuntary laughter.

It was taken from within ALO, from their party last night, right after she accepted Kirito’s invitation to spend the day at his house. Klein had gotten his hands on one of the <Screen shoot camera crystals> Leafa and Silica were using against him and Lisbeth, and noticing she and Kirito were quite close to each other with interesting expressions on their faces, he had approached them unnoticed from behind. However, he had failed to accomplish his mission completely, as Kirito – perhaps using his sixth sense to notice a <malicious intention> nearby, turned to him exactly as the crystal glowed and took the picture.

Kirito then had put all his Agility stats in pursuing Klein through the whole extension of the room, while the others, Asuna included, burst out laughing so hard their stomach began to hurt. In the end, Kirito had retrieved the crystal, and even more embarrassed than before, walked towards Asuna to show the picture she was currently staring at in her hands.

The slight upward angle of the image showed that Klein had approached them by crawling from behind the couch, perhaps counting on the assumption they wouldn’t notice him in enough time. Kirito’s face was the closest from the “camera”, his eyes and mouth widely open in surprise, his cheeks and even his pointy ears still on fire. His body was half twisted to his right, as he had stretched his arm backward on an instinctive attempt to catch the crystal. Asuna was a little further in the back, her face also pinkish but expressing only curiosity by trying to see whatever Kirito was looking at, as Kirito’s body had obstructed Klein from her view.

Kirito’s face looked just too hilarious. He may had been a bit flustered, but showed no resistance when she asked him to send it to her. It was a picture of them together after all, and on top of that, one with a great story behind it. For Asuna, it was like a precious gem, just like every moment she could enjoy by Kirito’s side. They had had the habit of taking many pictures of their adventures in those two weeks of their short-lived honeymoon on the 22nd floor. Now that they had been released from SAO, Asuna was determined to create many more memories, what meant gathering just the same amount of pictures as tokens of those moments. So far, she felt her collection lacked some from the real world.

The thought sent a faint, dark sting into Asuna’s happiness. Yes…if there was one thing she was displeased by when thinking back to the past four months, it certainly was the extremely limited moments Kirito and her had shared in the real world until now.

Sure, they went to the same school, but could only be together during lunch break, and even this only happened three times a week, as they were in different grades. She had given her best in her rehabilitation ever since she woke up, to be able to attend school with everyone on April, and even though she succeeded, her rehab had continued for over a month until she was completely recovered.

Her parents had restricted her movements a lot during that time, worried as they were about her seemingly fragile figure. It was as they thought she was a crystal statue, which would break if any intense motions happened to approach it. She wasn’t even allowed to take the subway alone from school to home at that period, because as weak as her body still was, a crowded subway station was the very last place anyone would allow her to be. So, a private driver had been assigned to assist her during those days, and needless to say, she hadn’t been able to hang out very much as well. The first reunion they had had on Agil’s Café to celebrate the clearing of SAO had been an exception her parents had accepted after a lot of convincing from Asuna’s part.

She didn’t hold any grudge against her parents behavior. It was natural that after their daughter spent two years in a comatose state induced by a game, they would be over worried about her; especially if her body’s full strength wasn’t back yet. She just lamented she couldn’t recover earlier and enjoy those days to the fullest.

However, her rehab wasn’t the only thing to blame. Getting ride of the habits those same two years had engraved into every SAO player was a long and exhausting new battle they were facing every day, and there was no status window to show their progress. During her first few weeks in the real world, Asuna had lost count of how many times she had put two fingers together and brought then down on an attempt to call out her menu. Now those habits were more in control, but it didn’t mean her body had forgotten those impulses. From what she had heard from Kirito and her friends, it was the same with them.

But those small details were just the tip of the iceberg. Readapting to the real world after two years of life and death struggles meant to memorize math formulas instead of map data; to study Literature instead of gathering information about the next level’s dungeons monsters. To have an ordinary life, going to school and worrying over exam grades instead thinking of how to fight the next boss and making every possible strategy to ensure no lives would be lost. The 180° degrees change in their lives as <SAO survivors> was still a lot to get used to.

Hence, the encounters they all had had outside the virtual reality were very few. Undoubtedly, each one of them had their plates full, everyone facing their own individual struggles. For all those reasons, she and Kirito had had very little time together alone. The geographic distance between her and Kirito's houses in the real world certainly contributed to that, far too great for her taste. He lived in Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture, on the Greater Tokyo Area. She lived in Setagaya, one of Tokyo’s special wards. At best, there was an hour worth car ride between them; at worst, a two hours long trip by several different train lines.

Asuna sighed deeply at the thought, still gazing at Kirito’s bewildered face. When thoughts like these crossed her mind, she strongly wished the real world could somehow support the teleportation system SAO had. Then she would be only two short command words away from him.

She clicked her tongue in impatience and shook her head for a split second, attempting to drive out that melancholic atmosphere. She was on her way to spend a whole day with him, just the two of them. It was such an unexpected and delightful opportunity that she hadn’t foreseen for today, and the fact that it was actually happening was already enough to immerse her soul in a blissful state. Asuna refused to let such dull thoughts sullen her mood.

She brought her phone to her chest, covering it with both hands and closed her eyes as she was praying. _It doesn't matter,_ she whispered in her heart. It didn’t matter she and Kirito hadn’t had much time together in the real world as she would like. The moments they _did_ have always made her feel like she had been blessed. Blessed for putting on the Nerve Gear out of curiosity on that fateful day, as contradictory as it may seem. Blessed for stumbling upon that black-haired boy on that dungeon in the first floor, and later, seeing him napping under a tree without a care in the world.

Asuna suddenly giggled, remembering those times and opening her eyes, her mind reminiscing. At that time, he was laying on the grass under a tree's shadow, hands behind his head and with his eyes closed, the wind caressing his apparently sleeping face. When she passed by and glanced at the black-clothed figure on the ground, she could only think, _“Just what is he thinking, napping in a place like this? What a waste of time!”_ before changing her route and aiming her pace at the lazy young man to throw those thoughts directly at him.

As ordinary and meaningless as it could have seemed to an outsider, the events that followed had been a turning point in her whole life in Aincrad – and by extent, her life now in the real world. Had she not felt irritated enough about him “wasting his time” to go talk to him and eventually taking a nap herself, she might not have noticed so soon the feelings she had been harboring for a long time for that aloof, slightly awkward yet mysterious swordsman.

 _Just how much things have – I have changed since that day?_ Asuna quietly pondered this in her heart, a smile reaching her lips. She had changed. She had taken up her sword and fought her way through seventy-five floors to get her freedom back. She had found herself to be someone she had never thought she was. She had struggled, battled, cried, feared and smiled. And somewhere along the road, she had fallen in love, and discovered yet another side of herself. A side that could love more deeply than she had thought it was possible. Lastly, she had discovered what it felt like to have her heart become one with someone else’s, united by this powerful and endless bond.

Their hearts had made the longest trip, crossed unfathomable distances, overcoming different worlds’ barriers and found each other more than once. Be it readapting to real life or geographic distance, they both palled in comparison to what they had been through together.

A soft, electronic female voice rang from the speakers and interrupted Asuna’s trail of thought. _“Next stop, Sangenjaya Station. Transfer station to Tokyu-Den-entoshi line. Disembark on the right. Please, watch your step. Thank you.”_

Peeking at the picture for one last time, Asuna returned her phone to her purse and got to her feet. Just 20 more minutes of travel left now.

While waiting for the train to stop, she leaned her back on the wall opposite to the doors. Gazing at the rectangular windows on it that let the sunlight through, she ran her fingers through the ends of her hair and clenched her fist slightly at her chest, a profoundly resolution taking form in her soul.

None of the obstacles any world put in front of her would ever be an issue. Because she would not let them be. Because she would overcome each one of them, and find his heart each time. No matter what.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for finishing the first chapter of Summer Rain! If you want, please make the author happy and leave some words! (o^▽^o)


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